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18 Tracks With a Voice: Spotify’s “I’m With the Banned” Playlist

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Despite rules and regulations, nothing can confine and limit the reach of music.

This week’s playlist is dedicated to the new Spotify exclusive music series “I’m With the Banned”, a masterful twist of irony where 6 nationalities banned from the states travel to Toronto, Canada in order to meet up with an American musician and collaborate on a track with each other. The idea is to signify that despite rules and regulations, nothing can confine and limit the reach of music.

The series released as of July 2017 and will continue to update with new music and videos each week. What are these videos? They are stunning and intricate visual projects that document both the “banned” artists and the American features to demonstrate the difference between the two lives and the two sounds that come together as one.

In harmonious synchronization, these artists meet up in these studio spaces to tell each others’ stories and to prove that they will not be silenced by the world. These projects are short, 5 minutes each, yet they are so impactful in their storytelling. Honestly, this is one of Spotify’s greatest departures yet. It brings us all of us together, from every race, gender, history, and genre and makes us appreciate the music and the people behind it– in these series we become one band together, fighting the forces of evil in our political turmoil today.

In every song, there is beauty, from the hip hop to the indie rock to electronic pop. Thus far, featured artists have included notable acts like Pusha T, X Ambassadors, K. Flay, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Desiigner. The starring artists from overseas include Kasra V from Iran, Methal from Syria, Waayaha Cusub from Somalia, and more.

So, watch each video, and then listen to each song in the playlist above and be a part of this incredible movement to open eyes, minds and ears… and then share this message with the rest of the world.